News Release

To improve the ability of military service members and their families to readjust well to post-deployment life, the U.S. departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs should ensure that their systems have sufficient capacity to provide timely and adequate care to service members, veterans, and family members, and boost efforts to reduce the stigma associated with getting care for mental health and substance abuse problems, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. DOD and VA also should ensure that they are using diagnostic tools and therapies that are in line with the latest medical evidence. In addition, the departments should complete work as soon as possible on a combined, interoperable electronic health record that will help service members and veterans more easily navigate the services offered by each department and ease the transition from one to the other.

News Release

There is no single therapy or universal treatment approach that will help all veterans experiencing chronic multisymptom illness (CMI), says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs should customize care with an array of therapies tailored to each former service member's needs, said the committee that wrote the report.

Media Advisory

Gulf War and Health Volume 9: Treatment for Chronic Multisymptom Illness, a new report from the Institute of Medicine, assesses the evidence about the effectiveness of potential therapies for veterans experiencing the diverse array of symptoms that characterize this condition, also known as Gulf War Syndrome. The report recommends the best approaches to managing veterans' care.

News Release

Outdated approaches to preventing and treating substance abuse, barriers to care, and other problems hinder the U.S. Defense Department's ability to curb substance use disorders among military service members and their families, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. Service members' rising rate of prescription drug addiction and their difficulty in accessing adequate treatment for alcohol and drug-related disorders were among the concerns that prompted members of Congress to request this review.

Media Advisory

Substance Use Disorders in the U.S. Armed Forces, a new report from the Institute of Medicine, provides an independent evaluation of how well the U.S. Department of Defense and the individual service branches are diagnosing, treating, and preventing alcohol and drug misuse and abuse among military service members.

News Release

The U.S. departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs should ensure that service members and veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have timely access to evidence-based care, says a new congressionally mandated report from the Institute of Medicine.

Media Advisory

In response to growing national concern about the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among military personnel and veterans, Congress passed legislation calling on the Institute of Medicine to study the availability and effectiveness of PTSD treatments, current and projected costs of these treatments, and what additional research is needed to improve sufferers’ outcomes.